Dragonball Z: The Amulet of Eternity
by MistyKoopa
Summary: Sumi and Seiji are two of West City's many citizens. But their peaceful days of going on dates and sleeping in come to an end with the arrival of an alien who brings with him death, and an unusual fate worse than death.
1. Peaceful Times

"Hi, welcome to Bourgeois'! Can I help you find anything today?" the girl asked over the pop music playing throughout the crowded store.

"I don't know. I'm looking for a formal dress, but blue. And stylish. But not _too_ stylish," the woman explained.

"Sure thing; right this way!" the girl led the customer through the store over to the dresses. Her two large, oval-shaped pink buns bounced slightly atop her head as she walked. Other female customers admired her pink hair as she passed by. Their boyfriends admired the girl's other assets when their girlfriends, or the girl, weren't looking.

"Here are our more subdued dresses, but if you change your mind we have flashier ones, too. Can I help you with anything else?"

"Uh, no, probably not," the woman started to pick through the racks of dresses.

_A simple "thank you" wouldn't kill you,_ the girl thought as she made her way to the back of the store. _Thank god my shift is over._

"Rough day, huh?" one of the girl's co-workers commented as she walked into the back room. "I'm so glad today's the last day of this sale!"

"Yeah, but we'll be lucky if it's a week before the next one starts," the girl took off her name tag and got her purse out of her locker. "And then before you know it, it'll be back-to-back sales and wall-to-wall crowds up until the New Year. And then only a few weeks before the massive crowds return ahead of Valentine's Day."

"I don't want to even think about it! I've already been in retail way too long,"

"Yeah, me too. See you tomorrow morning, Yuko."

"Later."

The girl made her way out of Bourgeois' and into the equally crowded streets of West City's trendiest, and most expensive, shopping district. Without looking around her eyes locked onto one boy standing outside the entrance and broke into a genuine smile.

"Hi, Seiji!" the girl embraced him before giving Seiji a quick kiss.

"Hey, Sumi. So, before we hang out there's something I want to talk to you about privately," Seiji said as they walked down the street holding hands.

"Okay. Your place or mine?"

"_Private_ private," Seiji replied.

"Oh. Okay."

The two continued walking casually down the street before turning down into an alley. Sumi and Seiji quickly ducked behind a tall dumpster and reached out with all their senses to make sure absolutely nobody was watching them. In an instant both of them transformed into hawks and soared out of the alley and into the skies above West City. Together they flew to the top of one of the city's tallest, widest skyscrapers before changing back again.

"I really wish you'd think of a new hairstyle soon," Seiji commented as he eyed Sumi's pink hair and buns. "It's so…unoriginal."

"But it's really, really trendy. And a bunch of customers started doing the same thing after I started doing it."

"You've been wearing it that way to work for a while now, though."

"Yeah and people will find it weird if I change it too much. But if it really bothers you that much, what about long, dark green hair?" Sumi suggested, and her hair instantly became waist length and a very dark green.

"I don't really like that one. And that's not original either; I know I've seen that combination before!"

"I never said my hairstyles were original," Sumi crossed her arms. "And did you _really_ ask me to come up here to bitch about my hair?"

"No. What I wanted to talk about was that my dad had a meeting with one of his business partners. Some stuff about my dad's company building new branch offices for her company. Anyways, one thing led to another and she invited Mom and Dad to have dinner with her and her husband tomorrow night."

"Oh, I see. You know, if you wanted to have sex in private _my_ place is always available," Sumi leaned forward, looking more than a little flirty.

"T-that's not it! And not because I don't want to!" Seiji blushed furiously. "His business partner saw one that picture of us together in his office and asked if we were his kids. And he explained that I am, but you're my girlfriend. And she got the idea not only to invite me but said I had permission to invite you along too."

"So you want me to triple date with you, your parents, _and_ some other parents I don't even know?"

"Please? I don't want to be there alone with a bunch of people I don't know."

"Ugh, _fine_. But you owe me a proper date soon."

"I really, _really_ appreciate it, Sumi. And I'd also really appreciate it if your appearance was more subdued."

"You mean you don't want me to walk in with pink hair."

"Or green," Seiji said as he eyed her long, green hair.

"I get it. You don't have to tell me," Sumi said. "I take it we're going to a restaurant instead of your place."

"Neither. We're going to their place," Seiji explained as he shifted slightly.

"Oh," Sumi eyed his suddenly nervous behavior. Dread immediately filled her. "…Where is their house located?"

"It's, uh, its Capsule Corp. headquarters."

"WHAT?!" Sumi yelled and whipped around to look at the other side of West City. Even from a distance Capsule Corp.'s distinct dome was clearly visible from the skyscraper. "God dammit Seiji you know damn well I haven't gone _anywhere_ near that side of town since the incident!" Sumi whipped back around feeling both terrified and pissed.

"Sumi-"

"No! I'm not going!"

"I understand why it makes you uncomfortable-"

"Then you should understand why I can't go! I don't wear disguises for no reason!"

"But nothing has happened since because you wear the disguises," Seiji pointed out.

"I don't care. You were there. You know he was trying to kill just me specifically," Sumi shivered and looked away.

"We were just little kids then, though. We have a plan now; the theory is foolproof. And this really means a lot to my parents."

"I'd _really_ rather not have to ever use the plan. And I really doubt that this deal will fall through just because I don't go."

"Alright then, then I'll just have to bribe you into going."

"No, you can't."

"Oh, yes I can. I've known you for fourteen years, Sumi. I know just how to bribe you."

"Not with this."

"Oh yeah? How about five hundred thousand Zeni?"

"No."

"One million?"

"No."

"Two million and a bigger apartment?"

"I'm not that desperate for a bigger place."

"Five million Zeni, a bigger apartment, and your choice of dates for the next six months. And I'll pay for the dates, too."

"No!" Sumi crossed her arms. _Shit, that's way more tempting than I want to admit. I could really expand my game collection with that much money and extra space._

"Ten million Zeni, a bigger apartment, your choice of dates for the next year, and I'll cover the bill for the dates."

"…Only on the condition that I never, ever, _ever_ have to go back to that side of town again."

"Really, you mean it?" Seiji asked.

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Thank you so much, Sumi!" Seiji grinned and hugged her tight. Sumi half-heartedly hugged back feeling rather unhappy about the whole thing.

"Cheer up," Seiji said when he sensed her feelings. "I know you're going to be doing a lot of fun stuff with all that Zeni."

"Yeah, starting the day after tomorrow. Our first date is going to be at the arcade," said Sumi.

"Can't say I'm surprised by that choice, but I do hope you want to do more than just spend every date at the arcade," Seiji sat on the edge of the roof and looked out at the ocean.

"What's wrong with the arcade?"

"Nothing, but I do like some variety, for one thing. And I'm happy to do little things with you. Like this view, this would be an amazing place to watch the sunset."

"Yeah, maybe," Sumi agreed as she looked around, though she avoided looking at Capsule Corp. as she did. "Wouldn't mind seeing the stars properly sometime, either," she said as she sat down next to Seiji.

"Me too. I guess we should plan a date outside West City sometime, huh? Maybe even a full vacation together!"

"Yeah. I'd like that a lot, just you and me."

Sumi and Seiji turned together, smiling, and kissed.


	2. Capsule Corp

"Morning, Sumi. Everything okay? You seem a bit unhappy this morning," Yuko asked as Sumi walked into the back room before opening the next morning.

"I guess. I have to go with Seiji's family to dinner tonight with some other family I don't even know," Sumi tossed her purse into her locker and put on her name tag.

"Yeah, that kinda sucks," Yuko agreed as they walked out of the back room together. "I bet they'll be the kind of adults who think teenage relationships are 'cute' for some reason."

"God, I hate that. We're seventeen, not twelve, why is that so cute? Adults would hate it if we called _their_ relationships 'cute'."

"I know, right? Every time my mom's friends call mine cute I make a point to call their wedding anniversaries cute. They never get it, though."

"Go figure," said Sumi. Yuko turned on the cash registers as Sumi unlocked the doors, and Bourgeois' officially opened for the day. On this day Sumi's buns were in the shape of hearts, something that many female customers eyed enviously as they came in.

Sumi had hoped that her shift would drag on forever, but unfortunately, like most people who dread something, it only seemed like a few hours had passed when Sumi timed out for the day.

_I must be out of my goddamned mind, agreeing to do this_, Sumi thought as she walked out of Bourgeois'. _At least it's my weekend starting tomorrow. Gotta focus on the fun things, like my date, and everything I can buy with my ten million Zeni._

Seiji wasn't waiting outside the entrance, so Sumi walked to the alley and ducked behind the dumpster by herself. This time Sumi changed into a mockingbird before taking flight. She flew fairly low, flying down familiar streets before reaching a familiar mansion. Sumi landed on the porch, behind a large planter facing away from the street. She transformed back in a ducking position, stood up, and rang the doorbell.

A couple of minutes passed before the door opened. The man who opened it wore a suit and smiled when he saw Sumi.

"Hello, Sumi. I see you came over straight from work."

"Hi, Shojiro. I hope there's enough time to change," Sumi stepped into the foyer of the mansion.

"Of course there's time. Nishi isn't quite ready yet either so don't feel too rushed."

"Okay, thanks," she said and walked to the nearest first floor bathroom. Once inside Sumi shut the door and looked in the mirror. Seconds later her hair turned from bright pink to a golden blond.

_Seiji wants me to look formal, so I'd better lose the_ buns, Sumi thought to herself and her buns became undone, turning into shoulder-length twin ponytails. _Hmm…I dunno if this is the right look for this, either_, she thought as she made style adjustments to the ponytails. _Maybe something a bit plainer is better_. The twin ponytails vanished into simply shoulder-length blond hair. _Better, but a bit short_. Sumi's hair slowly lengthened until it reached halfway down her back.

_There we go. Now for my clothes. Let's see…better play it safe and go with a dress_. Sumi's shirt and skirt merged into a dress. The sleeves disappeared and were replaced with shoulder straps a couple inches wide. The front changed shape slightly until only a little cleavage showed.

Then Sumi looked down and the length of the dress adjusted until it was halfway down her thighs. Then the bottom split on both sides of her legs and turned into slits that went up the rest of the length of her thighs. _Now for the color_. She looked back into the mirror. The dress rapidly started shifting between colors before settling on a rich red.

_Almost there, just need the finishing touches_. Sumi leaned in close to the mirror. First her eyes changed, from purple with pink flecks to green with gold flecks. Then she added a touch of grey-green eyeshadow. Her pink cheeks became more subdued and her lips went from pink to the same red as her dress. On her neck a plain golden necklace appeared, followed by matching bracelets on both wrists.

"There!" Sumi stepped back and smiled. "Now I'm-oops," she looked down again. Her high heels turned into an open-toed design and became the same red as her dress. Her purse became the same red as well, and changed shape into the most expensive purse sold at Bourgeois'.

"Okay! Now I'm perfect for real this time," Sumi admired herself briefly before she stepped back out of the bathroom. She walked back into the foyer just as Nishi arrived; Shojiro was still there and had been joined by Seiji.

"What a lovely dress, Sumi," Nishi said. "And the purse, is that one of Bourgeois' exclusives?"

"The purse is, but I picked the dress out of a magazine," she explained as they all filed out the door. "The hair is something I came up with myself, since Seiji said something more normal would be more appropriate tonight."

"And I like it _much_ more than the buns that are so popular now. I wouldn't mind seeing your natural hair every now and then, either."

"Yeah no, that's not happening ever again," said Sumi got in the backseat of Shojiro's car with Seiji. "You've forgotten how bad my natural hair is."

"Oh, I don't think it is," Nishi said. "I don't think the buns are that bad, either."

"That fad will pass soon enough, Seiji," Shojiro reassured him. "Besides, it could be worse. Big, fluffy perms were big years before either one of you were born."

"Some women would even fluff them up into afros," Nishi added.

"Could they pull off the look?" Seiji asked.

"No, I thought it mostly looked ridiculous," Shojiro answered. "Very few women can successfully make it work, and the majority of women then couldn't. Usually the ones who wear it these days are the few that can."

"If it's been so long since it's been popular maybe I ought to try and make that a trend again," said Sumi.

"Please don't," Seiji shuddered. "That would look bad on you in _any_ color."

"Then stop complaining about the buns."

"I can't help it. I don't like the way it looks when anyone takes all their hair and concentrates it in one or two spots. Short hair is a million times better."

"Really? I thought you didn't like short hair."

"Sometimes I do. It depends on the style. Same with any length, really. But buns are just universally bad."

"I get it; I'll change them out soon. But the pink hair stays. People will notice if it changes color too often."

"Just ditching the buns will be a huge improvement," Seiji insisted.

"Sorry to end this thrilling conversation," Shojiro interrupted, "but we're there."

Sumi blinked in surprise; she hadn't realized they'd even passed to that side of town. She hesitated as everyone else got out of the car. _Why did such a coward like me think that I can _do_ something like this?_

"Don't worry, Sumi. If the worst case scenario happens, you won't ruin dinner by fleeing," Shojiro reassured Sumi.

"Why? Did you-" Sumi nervously started to ask as she reluctantly climbed out of the car.

"No, no. We're still the only ones aware that you're the girl from the incident," Shojiro whispered. "But if he reappears now, you fleeing wouldn't be the thing to ruin dinner."

"If you say so," Seiji took Sumi's hand while they started towards the massive dome's closest door. Inside was a small waiting room with doors on the left and right. A receptionist at a desk watched them enter.

"Shojiro Yamamoto and family here for dinner with President Briefs," Shojiro told her.

"Yes, we've been expecting you. Just a moment," the secretary said as she typed on a tablet. Sumi thought they'd have to wait, but seconds later the door on the right opened, and Bulma Briefs herself was standing there.

"Mr. Yamamoto, thank you for coming here tonight," she said as she shook Shojiro's hand.

"Thank you for inviting us tonight," Shojiro led his family through the door; Seiji almost had to drag Sumi in.

"This is my husband, Vegeta," Bulma said as she gestured to him. Vegeta, who had been talked into wearing a suit for the occasion, grunted. "And our children, Trunks and Bra." Trunks smiled, but Bra grinned eagerly, revealing a couple of missing teeth.

"This is my wife, Nishi," Shojiro shook hands with everyone except Vegeta, who refused to offer his hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you," Nishi, like Shojiro, shook hands with all except Vegeta.

"And our son, Seiji."

"Thank you for inviting us tonight. This is my girlfriend, Sumi," Seiji proudly said as he introduced her.

"Sumi? Is that short for something?" Bulma asked.

"Natsumi," Sumi smiled as she shook everyone's hands. Unlike the others she snatched Vegeta's hand and forced him to shake hands with her.

"Well now, I know this is just a little unusual, but we'll be eating right away. Our dining room is just through here," Bulma said and led the Yamamoto's plus Sumi through a door into the dining room. On the table was the largest roast Sumi had ever seen. Sumi's mouth started to water instantly.

The two families sat themselves on opposite sides of the table, with the parents at one end and the children at the other. Sumi sat next to Seiji, and across from Trunks. She had barely sat down when she was handed a plate with a large slice of roast on it and, unlike the adults, a glass of water. Sumi piled some vegetables on there to go with the meat before digging in.

"So I see you two are still underaged, huh?" Trunks commented as he eyed the two water glasses Sumi and Seiji had.

"We're both seventeen, yeah," Seiji answered. "We'll be graduating this spring."

"Thank God," Sumi added while shaking a copious amount of pepper onto her food.

"I only turned twenty myself just a few months ago. Are you guys going to go onto college?"

"Yeah. My dad said I'll need as many degrees in business as possible if I want to run the company someday, so I don't really feel like I have much choice in the matter," Seiji said.

"I know exactly how you feel," Trunks agreed. "What about you, Natsumi?"

"Well, I have no idea what I want to do, actually," Sumi said. "Seiji's dad says that means I ought to get my own business degrees and do everything to avoid getting stuck as just an office lady, since he says that's not really a step up from my current retail job."

"Oh, you work? Just for summer break or all year?" asked Trunks.

"I've been working there year round for a while now, but only full time during the summer," Sumi explained.

"Where at?"

"Bourgeois'."

"Really?" Bra piped up. "Do you know the really pretty lady with the pink hair and fancy buns?"

"Actually-" Seiji started to say before Sumi swiftly kicked him under the table. Seiji started coughing. "Sorry. Actually, they don't really know each other at all."

"A lot of people ask, but we work different shifts and days. I don't even know her name," Sumi, Seiji, and the Briefs' children got seconds of everything.

"If you work there, why do you wanna be in a office instead of fashion?" Bra asked.

"Well, it's okay, but fashion isn't really my thing," Sumi admitted. "But I don't really have any hobbies I can turn into a job, either. That's why Seiji's dad advised I go into office work."

"Whatcha like to do?"

"I like meditating, reading, and uh, video games are pretty cool, too," Sumi blushed slightly.

"Oh, don't deny it. Sumi is a _huge_ nerd for games," Seiji said, and Sumi blushed even harder.

"Man, me and my best friend were really into games when we were young. Pretty much every time he came over we'd take over the living room TV and play all day. Used to drive Dad crazy when we'd fight over controllers and what to play next. About once a week he'd threaten to break all my game stuff to shut us up once and for all," Trunks told them.

"What console did you have?"

"Nintendo Famicom, but I have a Sega Genesis and a Super Famicom we'd play sometimes, too."

"Yeah, I know those," Sumi said, deciding not to mention how extensive her collection was. "How good were you?"

"Good enough to beat Super Mario Bros."

"What's a 'Famicom'?" Bra asked.

"You mean you've never seen any of my old game stuff?"

"Nope!"

"Well we're going to change that. C'mon, I really doubt they're going to notice we're gone," Trunks said. After he and Bra loaded their plates with more food the four of them went back out to the living room. "Alright, give me a few minutes to find it. Bra, don't you dare touch my food," he said as he set his plate down and left through a different door.

"_Fine_," Bra wolfed down only the food on her plate. Sumi and Seiji sat on the couch holding hands. When Bra wasn't looking they shared a quick, silent kiss.

"Found it!" Trunks announced as he came back carrying a large box. Trunks plopped down with the box and started pulling out a jumble of wires.

"See, this is why I have all my consoles ready to go at all times," said Sumi.

"How many do you have?" Trunks asked.

"More than you."

"Doesn't that take up lots of space?" Bra asked.

"I guess. But the rest of my space is pretty much taken up by my games. I live in a small apartment," Sumi explained.

"But you'll be upgrading soon," Seiji reminded her.

"Yup!"

"There we go!" Trunks announced and slapped a cartridge into the Famicom. The classic title screen of Super Mario Bros. lit up the TV, and Trunks and Sumi grabbed the first player controller at the same time.

"My house," Trunks said.

"I'm the guest," Sumi replied.

"And this is why my Dad always threatened to destroy the Famicom," he laughed. "Okay, Natsumi. You can be Mario," Trunks let go of the controller.

As Sumi selected a 2-player game her eyes glowed a very delicate shade of blue, one that only Seiji could notice, and only because they knew each other so well. Her mind gently touched that of the game console, making sense of the data, and Sumi began to play her side of the game almost perfectly; she knew from experience that too perfect was suspicious.

But Trunks wasn't exaggerating his own ability and was able to play well himself despite having not played in years. Both of them skillfully made their way through the levels, taking Warp Zones and utilizing short cuts. Sumi cleared the last castle first, but only because she had the advantage of being Player 1.

"And that's the way to do it," she said as Princess Peach thanked Mario on the TV. "But you played okay for someone who hadn't played in years."

"And you play pretty good for a girl. Most chicks don't usually play non-casual games."

"I warned you that Sumi's a huge nerd for this sort of thing," Seiji smiled. "Most guys are pretty surprised the first time when she hands out serious ass-whippings in games like Street Fighter."

"That's always satisfying, but I generally prefer platformers. Super Mario Bros. is a real classic, but I've always preferred Super Mario Bros. 3. It's a much better game, that I'm much better at," said Sumi.

"That sounds like a challenge," Trunks said. "And you're assuming that I even have that one."

"I would be assuming if you grew up poor and had a grand total of three or four games. But the wealthiest families in the world, with a box of Famicom games that big? I refuse to believe you don't have something as famous as Super Mario Bros. 3."

"How do you know there aren't any Genesis or Super Famicom games in this box?"

"Because the only thing written on that box is 'Famicom'."

"You got me there; I do have separate boxes for Genesis and Super Famicom. But this time, _I_ get to be Mario."

"Fair enough," Sumi said and sat back with Seiji while Trunks dug through the box of games. The game was located soon enough, and once it'd been swapped in Trunks and Sumi traded controllers. Like before as soon as Sumi was holding the controller she created a mental connection to the Famicom.

Both of them started playing, this time without using any warps to skip ahead. Once again they played skillfully, knowing the locations of invisible blocks and secret areas within stages. This time by chance it was Trunks who made it to the final level first and won.

"Oh dear, leave it to Sumi to be playing bideo games," Shojiro said from behind and laughed. Sumi and the others turned and saw both sets of parents watching them.

"Is there a problem?" Seiji nervously asked.

"No, it's just time to leave now," Nishi said.

"Already?" asked Bra.

"They've been here nearly four hours now," Bulma said. "You don't want them to stay much longer, do you?"

"Yes, it's fun!"

"Thank you for having us over," Seiji said as he shook Bulma's hand a second time.

"It was no problem at all. We'd love to have you again some time."

"Yes! Come back and play with us again!" Bra called out.

"Well see," Sumi shook Bulma's hand again. _Fat chance._

"I knew I heard fighting over that damned video console thing earlier. I swear I should have blown that shit up years ago," Vegeta was heard saying as the Yamamoto's and Sumi walked out. Sumi had to resist the urge to sprint to the car.

"So Sumi, do you want me to drop you off at your apartment?" Shojiro asked once everyone was in the car.

"No thanks. Seiji and I are going to do homework together for a bit," Sumi said.

"That's fine. Would you like something to eat while you work?"

"I don't know, maybe later."

Once back at the Yamamoto's mansion, Sumi and Seiji bid goodnight to his parents and went up to his room. As soon as Seiji shut the door Sumi flopped over backwards onto Seiji's bed.

"Phew, I am absolutely exhausted. All that stress really wore me out!"

"Yeah, but you made it _and_ nothing bad happened. And I'm super proud of you for doing it," Seiji told Sumi.

"Ahem."

"Oh, right, hold on," Seiji pulled out his phone. "There, ten million Zeni transferred to your bank account."

"Awesome," Sumi said as she pulled out her phone and watched the amount jump up ten million. "This is really gonna let me round out my collection."

"Yeah, so, I know I'm not supposed to ask again, but-"

"No."

"Not even to contact your family?"

"I can't do it," she said softly as she sat up.

"But you managed it just now, and with strangers," Seiji pointed out.

"You don't understand," Sumi stood up and walked out onto Seiji's balcony; Seiji followed her. "This just now was so hard to do. But trying to go home? I just can't do it."

"Is everything okay?" Seiji asked as he felt a deep, powerful sadness coming from Sumi. "What's wrong?"

"It's just…I already tried to visit my family once a few years ago."

"What? You never told me about this."

"That's because I thought it would be safer that way. I went after sunset as a bird. I took a roundabout way, too, in case he was watching.

"Anyways, I found my way back and perched on the living room windowsill. And when I looked it I…I saw I had been replaced."

"No!"

"Not only that, they were loving her and treating her nice like they never did me, because she was what they had wanted out of me, feminine, and beautiful-"

"You're beautiful," Seiji told her.

"No, I'm not."

"I mean it," Seiji insisted.

"You only say that because you haven't seen the real me in so many years. The truth is that I look like my dad, and my dad is _not_ a handsome man," Sumi leaned on the railing as she spoke.

"I don't care. But, why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Because I didn't want you to know I'm unloved and unwanted."

"You're wanted. And I love you," Seiji put an arm around Sumi as she looked out over the twinkling city lights.

"Yeah, I know," she said and leaned into him.

In the vast, freezing, desolate vacuum of space, a man floated there, protected by the vacuum by a transparent blue bubble with a delicate glow. He had light blue skin, deep blue-black hair, and very long, pointy ears. His clothes were plain and blue-green in color. A perfectly round sapphire hung from a golden chain around his neck.

He appeared to be asleep, but in reality his mind was not only alert, but probing planets in distant galaxies. He could sense every lifeform on these distant planets, from the smallest bacteria to the most powerful inhabitants, but only certain types of individuals interested him, and of those only the ones with the highest potential.

"What's this?" he muttered as his mind moved onto Earth, one of the many planets he would recheck occasionally. "An exact signature I've sensed before…how interesting. Nobody has ever evaded me before. I might have to play with this one first," he whispered as his eyes opened and bared his teeth in a cold smile.


	3. Sumi's Decision

Sumi's eyes fluttered open to narrow beams of light shining into her small apartment. She stretched and yawned before rolling out of bed. Moving carefully around her many stacks of games spread across the sole room, Sumi made her way to the bathroom. As she passed by her almost non-existent kitchen, a piece of bread vanished into the toaster as it suddenly turned on. The sole burner lit and a couple pieces of bacon floated from the fridge to the frying pan already on top of the burner.

In the bathroom Sumi took off the only garment she ever wore to bed, her panties, and tossed them into the hamper. Stepping into the shower stall Sumi turned on the water by hand, but the soap and shampoo floated over to her. Her toothbrush also floated into the shower with the power of telepathy, allowing Sumi to wash and brush at the same time.

Once she had finished showering Sumi sent everything back to its place before closing her eyes. All of the water flew off of her body, leaving her perfectly dry. As she stepped out of the shower the bacon in the frying pan flipped.

_Mmm, nothing wakes me up like a hot shower_, she thought to herself. Like in the shower, Sumi telepathically brought over hair brush and clothes for the day. She brushed her long hair hands free while dressing in a plain, light purple T-shirt and blue denim shorts. She topped off the look with a white cape. When she had finished Sumi looked in the mirror.

_Let's see…Seiji claims he likes short hair, so I'll try that today_. Sumi's hair shortened to a wavy bob. Then her hair rapidly changed colors before settling on a dark blue. Then her facial features changed slightly, her nose becoming a little smaller, her jawline rounding a little. Her eyes lightened to an icy blue for contrast. The same color was used as lipstick and her cheeks turned a subtle light pink. Finally Sumi's clothes changed into a very short blue dress with no shoulder straps.

_A little plain, though. Palm trees, maybe_? she wondered, and her dress instantly gained very dark blue palm trees. _That's much better. I like this look a lot. I'll have to remember this and use it again_. Sumi briefly struck a pose and smiled.

Walking back in the kitchen area Sumi turned off the burner before grabbing the toast. Cream cheese floated out of the fridge and Sumi spread a little on the toast before wolfing it down. Then she grabbed the bacon and wolfed that down as well. Finally she washed it down with some water. _Well, at least that took the edge off a little. And now that Seiji is footing the bill for a larger place I should be able to afford at least more normal amounts of food_.

Sumi slipped on her socks and shoes; when she finished they changed into fancy sandals the same blue as her dress. Sumi smiled and walked out of her apartment; as she left the frying pan floated to the sink and started washing itself. Downstairs and outside it was a deliciously warm summer morning. Most girls and women were also dressed in light and short dresses, too. Sumi smiled and waved to a couple of her classmates as they passed, but of course they didn't recognize her.

Sumi started walking down the street, but she didn't have far to walk. After just two blocks Sumi arrived at her favorite arcade: Galaxy of Games. Sumi grinned from ear to ear as she walked inside. Music pulsed from hidden speakers adding to the chaotic din of video game sound and music, and conversation.

_Seiji's late_, she noted when she didn't see him anywhere near the entrance. Sure enough her phone buzzed with a message explaining that he was running late this morning. _Eh. Might as well get started anyways_, she shrugged and stepped up to the nearest game.

"Is that _really_ the best you can do, Kakarot?" Vegeta taunted Goku inside the gravity chamber as they sparred. "Even _Bulma_ can hit harder than that."

"Heh, I'm still just warming up," Goku replied. The second he threw the next punch they both felt it at the same time; a massive power source that had just appeared. It was on the outskirts of West City, but quickly coming their way. Goku stumbled slightly from momentum as he tried to stop the punch.

"Whoever that is, it doesn't feel very friend-" Goku stopped when he saw the look on Vegeta's face: Goku had only seen him look that enraged very few times.

"Go home!" Vetega yelled as he burst out of the gravity chamber and tore down the hall to the nearest window, followed closely by Goku. "The only one who gets to kill this fucking son of a bitch is me!"

"What's going on? Why are you so angry?"

"Then I just straight up told her I heard everything she said about bleeding me dry," Trunks said to Goten.

"Oh shit! What'd she say?" Goten asked.

"Denied it at first, and then got angry when I said she couldn't change my mind. Said she'd just find some even wealthier guy instead. I laughed and said-holy _shit_!" Trunks yelled as the powerful being appeared on the outskirts of the city. "Goten, it's _him_!"

"Are you serious?" he gasped. Trunks nodded.

"Come on! I need to get at least one good hit in before Dad kills him!"

"And you really think that this architecture deal is going to work?" Chi-Chi asked Bulma while they sat together with drinks out in the yard. Bra was with them, only with a glass of juice instead.

"Oh, sure! Yamamoto has very talented drafters in his company. The new branch won't be just beautiful, it'll be _outstanding_."

"Look, Mom! Someone's coming!" Bra pointed into the sky. Bulma and Chi-Chi looked and saw a distant figure flying towards them.

"That doesn't look like anyone we know," Bulma said nervously. "Do you think he's here for our husbands, or our sons?"

"I don't know," Chi-Chi replied.

As they watched the being quickly drew closer before passing nearby. Bulma only got the briefest of glimpses, but recognized the pale blue skin and long ears. She gasped and paled.

"Chi-Chi, it's him! The one who…!" she couldn't finish.

"No! After all these years?" Chi-Chi gasped. As they watched their husbands tore after the man, followed closely by Trunks and Goten.

"Come on! We're going after them! Bra, you stay by my side at all times," Bulma commanded as she whipped out a car capsule and threw it. She was already running to the car before it even appeared.

"Do you think it's a good idea?" Chi-Chi got in on the passenger side. "I've never been overly fond of all this fighting stuff…."

"I don't care! After what happened last time I'm _not_ going to be happy just waiting at home!

"What happened last time? What's going on?" Bra asked from the back seat as they tore off to the other side of West City.

Sumi spat out a mouthful of soda and whipped around, having sensed the man appear at the edge of the city, though moving in her direction. As she dashed to the door a few people looked at her in disgust for spitting out her drink, but otherwise ignored her. They didn't sense him, nor did they have a prior history with him either.

"Sumi!" Seiji called out just as Sumi was running out.

"I know!" she replied and in a moment they were holding onto each other for dear life.

"What should we do?" he asked.

"Don't use any kind of telekinesis, not even for communication. He's looking for us. For _me_," Sumi gulped. They looked up and saw him pass somewhat close by, but he continued on past them.

"It looks like he's heading for the fish market. Should we use our contingency plan now?"

"No, not when he's actively looking for me," Sumi shook her head. "We need to know the exact moment for it to work. And to do that, we need to do the thing he's least expecting."

"What'll that be?"

"Follow him and watch from a close distance," Sumi said nervously.

"Follow- Sumi have you lost your mind?!" Seiji whispered angrily.

"Yeah, probably," she pulled Seiji along in the direction of the fish market.

"Hmm. Not here, but not far either. I suppose I should double back and keep looking," the man quietly said to himself. The blue bubble reappeared the second before a large chi blast would have struck: despite its appearance the bubble turned out to be quite solid. "Come to play again?" the man asked without turning around.

Vegeta didn't answer. Instead he sent a volley of chi blasts toward the man. The bubble-like shield deflected them like mist. Then he sent a chi blast back at Vegeta, still without turning around. Vegeta put his arms up and resisted the blast, but not without a little difficulty.

"You there!" Goku called out. "Who are you, and why have you come here?"

"I'm Periwinkle, and I'm simply here looking for someone. I'll leave as soon as that's done."

"You're not leaving you son of a bitch!" Trunks yelled as he arrived on the scene. Without hesitating he started to furiously punch Periwinkle. Vegeta joined in, but Periwinkle seemed unphased by their attacks. His eyes glowed faintly blue and both of them were blasted into the ground by an unseen force.

Most of the people at the fish market either retreated to the edge of the plaza, or fled the scene entirely. Bulma however pushed her way through the crowd and over to her husband's side, pulling Bra along as she did so. Chi-Chi pushed through behind them, but hung back a little. A short distance away, Sumi and Seiji made their way to the front of the crowd and watched unnoticed.

"Vegeta-"

"I'm fine! He's the one that's going to be dead, soon!"

"If you're only looking for someone, why are my friends trying to kill you?" Goku asked Periwinkle, his fists clenched tight.

"You'll have to ask them that. If you and them want to play, I'll play, but I'm not leaving until I've found who I'm looking for."

"Not even if you die in the process?"

"If _I_ die?" Periwinkle laughed. "That won't happen, as you will unfortunately find out, it seems. But I will kill you, them, and every other living thing on this planet until I get what I came for."

"You wouldn't!" Goku said angrily.

"I've done it before and I'll be sure to do it again. Whether or not it's here doesn't matter to me. For your sake, you'd better hope I don't get bored too quickly," Periwinkle laughed again.

"No, wait!" Sumi called out as she ran out into the plaza. "Please, there's no need to kill anyone!"

"Oh, really? I'd love to hear why not."

"Because…," Sumi swallowed hard. "Because I'm the one you're looking for. And, I surrender."

"No!" Seiji ran out to Sumi. "No, please, don't do it!" Sumi smiled sadly and pulled Seiji into a tight hug.

"This is something I have to do," she said to him.

"No, it's not. You can fight him, or we can still try to run."

"I don't think that I can fight him, though. And I especially can't run, not when he's ready to kill everyone else first. People shouldn't have to die just because I'm a coward. I'm tired of being a coward, and hiding all the time; it's time I meet the fate I should have met all those years ago."

"But-"

"It'll be okay, Seiji," Sumi whispered and kissed him. "It doesn't matter if I die. Remember what I told you last night?"

"What-" Seiji started to ask, but then it hit him like a ton of bricks. "Sumi, no, that's not true! You're loved, I love you, I love you!" Seiji yelled, but Sumi was already walking towards Periwinkle, who had landed a short distance away.

"Go ahead, do your worst," Sumi said to him.

Periwinkle said nothing, but his sapphire pendant glowed softly. A narrow beam of light shot out and struck Sumi. Sumi gasped lightly as it did, but suddenly began to scream as a terrible pain ripped through every piece of her body. Her powers failed, and Sumi instantly lost her disguise, but Sumi didn't notice; she didn't even have the strength to struggle.

Sumi's screaming stopped, but as Seiji watched in horror she turned bright blue all over. Then her features slowly faded into just the shape of her body, then into just a sphere of blue light. And Seiji realized it wasn't light, it was pure chi she had been reduced to. For several more seconds the ball of pure chi floated there before rushing all at once into the sapphire pendant, causing it to flash brightly for a moment.

But Seiji barely noticed, nor did he notice Periwinkle's laughter, or the people watching. He didn't even realize he'd dropped to his knees, or that tears were freely streaming down his face. All he knew that moment was that Sumi was gone, and all he could do was scream.


	4. Comet Flash

"Well, I got what I came for, and as promised I'll leave now. Better hope I don't come again!" Periwinkle called out and smirked.

"W-w-wait!" Seiji got up and hastily wiped his eyes. "Y-you said you were willing to play for a bit."

"I also said I would leave once I found the one I was looking for."

"But don't you, y'know, want to try out the new chi you put in your sapphire for…whatever it does?"

"Oh, I get it," Periwinkle laughed. "You want to save your girlfriend. A lot of people think like you do, but nobody can truly stand up to me with all of the chi I've absorbed into my amulet. However, since I'm in such a good mood, whoever wants to can play with me. I'll even give you a half hour to group together and plan your pointless strategy," Periwinkle laughed again and hopped into the air. He encased himself in a blue bubble shield, though this one wasn't transparent.

"Boy, I really don't like the way that sounded. I better ask King Kai is he knows about this Periwinkle guy," Goku said. Using his own abilities he reached out to the Other World.

"I'm here," King Kai responded. "This is one fine mess you're all in! I'd hoped you'd never have a run in with Periwinkle."

"Is it really _that_ bad?"

"Periwinkle is by far the most powerful being in the universe, thanks to all the people he's absorbed. Something he's been doing for the past fifty thousand years," King Kai said grimly.

"Fifty…! Please tell me this is one of your bad jokes," Goku asked sounding a little nervous.

"I would never joke about something this serious. Also just because _you_ don't get my jokes doesn't mean they're bad."

"If he's so interested in sucking up people then why he was so eager to leave us behind?" Vegeta demanded to know.

"Periwinkle only absorbs natural born psychics, not learned ones like you."

"I've fought opponents with psychic abilities, what makes them different?" Goku asked.

"Mind reading, telepathic communication, instant transmission, those are all basic psychic abilities. People with strong chi can learn them, but even low level psychics know these techniques naturally. They can also learn other psychic techniques with greater ease than most. But other abilities must be learned the hard way, just like non-psychics, and those with weak chi are unlikely to do so."

"Are they rare?" Goten asked King Kai.

"Not at all, at least the weaker ones. The powerful ones didn't use to be, either. But unfortunately they're the ones Periwinkle keeps in his amulet. They provide an unlimited source of chi, and worse, eternal life and youth. That's how he's been at it for the past fifty thousand years."

"So if the source of this power is his amulet, then all we gotta do is break it, right?" Goku said.

"We'll only get one shot, though, and if it fails he'll probably kill us all instantly," Goten said with a frown. "It'll need to be quick, too, something that takes too long will give him time to protect his amulet."

"…I think I can help with that," Seiji spoke up.

"How?" asked Goku.

"I'm a psychic, too, and while I'm not strong enough to fight I have one ability to help everyone destroy the amulet. I developed this ability to help Sumi escape from him, Periwinkle," Seiji explained. "But there's no reason why it shouldn't work with anyone else. What I do is create a beam of shorts that can guide anything to any exact point I chose. It'll even change their direction if needed, so I advise using just chi to attack. The only problem is it takes a little bit of time, and I'll have to be lined up with the amulet."

"That's okay; we can just distract him by fighting."

"Even if this works and destroys the amulet though, it might kill everyone inside it, too. But, even death would be better than stuck in there forever. At least, Sumi would think so anyways," Seiji said sadly.

"Yeah the afterlife's not so bad. They can train with King Kai, and we'll definitely revive them with the Dragon Balls! And then-"

Seiji ignored Goku's nonsensical prattle and turned away to look at the bubble shield Periwinkle was enclosed in, where Sumi and countless others were trapped inside the sapphire amulet. Even though the tears had stopped, Seiji still felt a pit of despair where his heart was.

"There's something we don't understand," a woman spoke behind him. Seiji turned and saw the Briefs family gathered behind him. Bulma and Trunks looked at least a worried as he felt. Even the expression on Vegeta's face had changed slightly, and Seiji noticed he looked a little pale. Only Bra was unaffected, if looking a little confused.

"About Periwinkle or the plan?"

"Neither. What we don't understand is how Kasumi has been alive all these years," Bulma said. Seiji gasped and his eyes widened.

"You…how do you know Sumi's full name?" Seiji asked as he looked between them. There was a sudden familiarity among them that Seiji couldn't place until he remembered Sumi's undisguised appearance when she was absorbed into the amulet. Last night's conversation in his room came rushing back to him as he understood, and the ground felt like it dropped beneath his feet.

"What's going on?" Bra piped up. "I thought his girlfriend's name was Natsumi."

Sumi gasped in air as she suddenly found herself able to breathe again. She fell backwards onto the ground feeling strangely drained, but otherwise alright. Opening her eyes, she found herself looking a deep blue sky. _I guess this must be limbo, or purgatory or something_, she thought as she sat up. Looking down Sumi realized the actual clothes she put on that morning were visible instead of the deep blue dress.

"Wha..?" Horrified, she felt her nose and could feel that it was larger. Reluctantly Sumi reached up and felt the large, prominent spikes of her natural hair. "My disguise…!"

"I'm afraid that almost no abilities are possible in here," an old man spoke behind Sumi. She scrambled to her feet and turned around. The speaker turned out to be an old man of Periwinkles race. Beyond him were many more people of many different races for as far as the eye could see in a deep blue void. Some were very young, others were old, and many more an age in between, but all of them stood around listlessly in the void.

"Who-"

"I'm Azure. I'm sorry to say it's my fault you're trapped in here in the Amulet of Eternity with us."

"What's that?"

"It is the name of the sapphire pendant Periwinkle wears," Azure said. _The sapphire- wait, the last thing I saw was a flash of light from it!_ Sumi realized.

"It's a very long story, and while we have more than enough time to tell it, it's much easier if I just show you. If you'll just touch my forehead…," said Azure. Sumi understood; she and Seiji sometimes communicated that way, though they preferred to touch their foreheads together.

With a powerful pang of sadness Sumi reached out and touched Azure's forehead. She immediately found herself in Azure's thoughts, his memories. She saw Azure sitting at a desk in a room. Small gems of different types and cuts were scattered on the desk, and Azure was examining them carefully. At the same time journal entries floated before her and spoke in Azure's voice.

"I decided to move forward with my search for immortality using gemstones. This seems to be the best way to go about it. I must test my theories on different types of stones and cuts, for the best results. These samples are small, and of poor quality, but it ought to be enough to experiment with…."

The memory changed. The gems were gone and Azure was sitting on the floor in what Sumi recognized as an intense state of meditation, the sort she and Seiji used for creating battle strategy theories, as well as her main method of training.

"I finally reached a breakthrough in my research. The best results came from the hardest gems as well as the roundest. From this I concluded I will need to use a sapphire, as they can be rounded out very nicely, as well as being quite strong. Rather than attempt to purchase a precut sapphire, I will find my own uncut stone through meditation. This way I can examine it thoroughly to ensure I can find the perfect gem for immortality…."

The memory changed again. Now Azure was in an office with many pictures of jewels on the walls, as well as several on display. This time the journal entries were silent and let the memory of a conversation play out.

"Yes, of course I can make them perfectly round, but…are you sure? It's a bit of a waste on sapphires that have no star," the other man said.

"I understand my request is unusual, but I need this particular stone cut this way, and as large as possible."

"…Very well then. Now, for the price-"

"I know this is also unusual, but I can pay you with the remainder of the sapphire, though if that won't be enough I can cover the rest with normal money," said Azure.

"Such an arrangement would, ah, depend on the size and quality of the rough stone," the man told Azure.

"Yes, of course. I have it with me, if you'd like to make an estimate," Azure pulled out and opened a large cloth bag. He revealed a massive blue rock the size of a soccer ball to the other man. The other man could only stare at the uncut sapphire with wide eyes.

Once again the memory changed. Back in his house Azure was grinning as he held a round, polished sapphire the size of a large fist in his hands. Sumi recognized it immediately as the sapphire Periwinkle was wearing. As Azure slipped the golden chains the sapphire hung from around his neck the journals spoke again.

"Today it has finally been completed! At last, I have the ability to live forever from the unlimited chi I will store in the sapphire pendant. Now I can share my wisdom to all future generations of physics thanks to the Amulet of Eternity…."

Yet again the memory changed. It was still in Azure's house, but he did not wear the pendant he called the Amulet of Eternity, though Sumi noticed the pouch he had kept the uncut sapphire in was resting on his desk table. The journal entries stayed silent as someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," Azure called out from the floor he sat on. The door opened and none other than Periwinkle was on the other side!

"Good day, master," Periwinkle smiled and joined Azure on the floor; the door behind them closed without being touched. "What is the focus of meditation today, sir?"

"A rather unique problem, to be a bit blunt," Azure said. "My wish is to share my wisdom for all time, and for years I've been researching a way to make it possible."

"You have me to pass it on for you," Periwinkle continued to smile. "I would be honored to take your place as teacher someday."

"I am very grateful for your offer," Azure smiled back. "However I know I'd be unhappy to be unable to do it myself. What if centuries past our time part of my teachings are forgotten? Or worse, corrupted for someone else's selfish desires? No, I need a way to be able to do it myself. Recently I made some major breakthroughs, but unfortunately I've reached another setback. This is where you come in."

Azure reached out a hand, and the bag on his desk floated over and gently landed in his outstretched hand. He reached in and pulled out the amulet; Periwinkle gasped.

"Wow! It looks so real, but it's massive."

"I assure you it is real," said Azure. "I found the rough stone after many hours of meditation."

"It's beautiful," Periwinkle whispered as he admired the stone from where he sat. "But how will a sapphire pendant help your purpose?"

"To keep things brief, using this sapphire I can store infinite amounts of chi. Then by using this chi I should be able to halt any further aging and live forever. However, I'm unable to figure out how to store it indefinitely; I can put chi in, but when I access it I use it up because the supply isn't continuously replenishing as it's supposed to. I've been meditating for weeks now searching for the solution, but without success."

"So you want me to meditate alongside you for the solution," Periwinkle said. "Of course I'll do whatever I can to help you. I'll even meditate on my own, but I'll have better luck being closer to the sapphire."

"This is why I want you to borrow it when you're not here. I know I can trust you to keep it safe."

"You mean it?" Periwinkle asked; Azure nodded. "Thank you, master. I'll give it my all for you," Periwinkle bowed his head.

Once more the memory changed. Azure was meditating in his home again, but the bag the amulet was kept in was absent. As before the journal entries stayed silent and someone knocked at Azure's door.

"Come in, Periwinkle," Azure said as he opened the door using telepathy. Periwinkle came in grinning from ear to ear.

"Master, I've done it! I figured out how to use the amulet!"

"Outstanding!" Azure scrambled to his feet. "What's the solution?"

"I'll show you," said Periwinkle as he slipped the amulet around his neck. Periwinkle's grin grew cold and the sapphire glowed before a beam shot out of it and pierced Azure. Azure gasped and screamed in utter agony, the memory faded, and Sumi was back in the present.

"I'm really sorry," Sumi told Azure as she put her hand down. "It's not your fault Periwinkle turned out to be a bad person, though."

"Even so, I'm still responsible for the creation of the amulet, and I willingly gave it to him, even if I didn't foresee what would happen."

"We're only responsible for our own actions," said Sumi as she thought of her own cowardly nature towards Periwinkle.

"Something that many others have reminded me of," Azure smiled slightly. "So if you don't mind my asking, may I see how your encounter with Periwinkle went?"

"No, I don't mind," said Sumi. Azure touched her forehead and Sumi's last memories of life outside the amulet played out; sensing Periwinkle's arrival while at the arcade, following him with Seiji, and surrendering under the threat of killing others.

"Yes, unfortunately that particular tactic is one of his favorites. Even more unfortunate that it's not a bluff, either," Azure sadly said back in the present. He started to move his hand away from her forehead, but paused. "Wait…_two_ encounters with Periwinkle?"

"No, don't-" Sumi started to say, but it was too late; Sumi and Azure found themselves in one of Sumi's oldest memories. Outside, a short distance away from Capsule Corp., a young girl in a dress with short, mostly straight black hair walked with her family. The beautiful sunshine streaming down between the buildings was lost on her as she angrily yelled at her older brother.

"That's no fair! You always get to do things I'm not 'llowed to!"

"That's right! Because you _can't_ do 'em, Kasumi," Trunks responded with a smug smirk on his face.

"Both of you shut up!" Vegeta yelled. "I swear to god if you don't stop right now I'm going to go home and blow up every video game I can find!"

"No you won't, but if everyone doesn't stop we'll turn around and go home right now without seeing any movie, do I make myself clear?" Bulma told all of them.

"Is that a promise?" Vegeta mumbled. Bulma opened her mouth to respond, but Vegeta was looking away at something in the sky. Bulma looked and saw a blue man with long pointed ears floating above them, looking down at the crowd below.

"Vegeta?"

"Protect Trunks and Kasumi," he told her before leaping up into the air.

"Hmm. An interesting power, but not the one I'm looking for," Periwinkle looked Vegeta over. "If you know any psychics living in this city, it's best to let me know now."

"Why?"

"Because then I'll leave without needing to play, though you seem eager to do so."

"How's _this_ for play?" Vegeta flung a large blast of chi at Periwinkle. The chi appeared to strike Periwinkle with a dramatic explosion.

"All right Dad!" Trunks cheered from the ground. But in the air Vegeta clenched his fists nervously as he sensed that Periwinkle was unscathed before the smoke even cleared. As it did so it revealed that he had protected himself with a blue bubble shield.

"That would be a decent attack, against someone else. It's only like playing to me," Periwinkle laughed a little as he shot a blast of chi at Vegeta. Vegeta held up his forearms and was able to block the attack with some difficulty, though he was pushed back slightly.

"Oh yeah?" Trunks leapt into the air and, ignoring Bulma's calls to come back, flew at Periwinkle. "How's _this_ for playing?" Trunks started rapid-firing punches at Periwinkle, who made no effort to block or dodge. He took the attacks without flinching for several seconds before using an invisible force to slap Trunks away.

"No!" Kasumi yelled out and took a step forward, but Bulma had a firm grip on her wrist, holding her back. "Stop! Please!" Kasumi's concern switched to rage in an instant as her hands formed fists. "I said leave them alone!"

Blue energy started pulsing and swirling around Kasumi, and she started to float up into the air. Bulma let go of her wrist in surprise and watched fly higher as her power quickly grew. Kasumi let out a scream of rage and let out a shockwave of energy that shattered all windows in the vicinity.

Periwinkle whipped around with a wolfish grin as the shockwave was released. Kasumi screamed again and shot a ball of chi at Periwinkle that he effortlessly slapped away before shooting one of his own into Kasumi. Kasumi yelped and was sent flying back down the street, colliding head first with a boy her age. At the moment of collision both of them exchanged thoughts with each other.

"Huh?" both of them said as they scrambled to their feet. Ignoring the danger they cautiously touched heads again, and another exchange of thoughts occurred.

"You do funny mind stuff too!" said Kasumi.

"Yeah! I thought I was only one."

"Me too!"

"Is your name really Kasumi?"

"Uh-huh. Is yours Seiji?"

"Yup."

Another one of Periwinkle's chi blasts came flying at them and appeared to strike them. Periwinkle flew closer, watching the dust cloud clear. As it did he could see what his mind had already told him, that the girl protected herself and the boy with a blue bubble shield of their own.

Kasumi glared ferociously at Periwinkle as she floated up into the air again, the swirling bubble shield still protecting her. As she floated up the shape morphed into that of an egg, pointed side up. Kasumi then flew at Periwinkle while in the shield, with chi and psychic energy trailing behind her. Periwinkle, not expecting this unusual attack, was pushed back into the side of a building by Kasumi. He grabbed the shield with his bare hand and shattered it, then snatched Kasumi and swung her into the side of the building several times.

"Now, hold still-" Periwinkle started to say, but Seiji leapt into the air, grabbed onto his arm, and bit him. Periwinkle yelped and threw both of them off. Snarling, he shot another chi blast at both of them. Kasumi grabbed Seiji's hand and teleported several feet away, dodging the attack. Periwinkle lobbed more chi at them, but Kasumi teleported and flew farther west out of the way, avoiding every one of the attacks.

They flew over a plaza at the edge of the city, and then they were over the water. Kasumi and Seiji flew lower, but Periwinkle pursued them, gaining speed.

"He's coming!" Kasumi yelled.

"Look out!" Seiji screamed. Kasumi looked over her shoulder at the massive blast of chi Periwinkle shot at them. Both their eyes widened and there was an explosion.

But they went underwater the moment it began to happen, and they were in the form of crabs as they floated safely down to the seabed. Though they couldn't see what was happening above the water, they could sense Periwinkle above them. Fearfully they waited, and just as suddenly as he appeared they could sense Periwinkle was gone. And then the memory faded, and Sumi and Azure were back inside the deep void of the amulet again.

"Very interesting," Azure lowered his hand.

"I've never understood how we escaped, though," said Sumi. "He should've sensed us without any problem."

"Yes, he should have," Azure agreed. "However, there was one technique Periwinkle never could master before trapping me in here."

"Really? What's that?"

"Sensing the chi of others from close range," Azure smiled slightly. "Oh, he can sense something powerful without too much trouble, but if you keep it at background levels you'll just blend in with the crowd. That's why he has to resort to threats and fear to flush victims out after he locates them initially from afar."

"Wow, that's really, well, pathetic," Sumi smiled a little; Azure nodded.

"Yes, it really is. Now, I know there is very little we can do in here, but I would like you to join my teaching sessions. If nothing else you might find some solace in meditating."

"Maybe, if I can't find a way to escape from here,"

"The amulet is constantly draining us. That is why we can't use the bulk of our powers, let alone escape. Otherwise none of us would be here," Azure explained to Sumi.

"I refuse to believe it's completely impossible," Sumi frowned and looked around while thinking. "If the amulet is constantly draining us, then it's also constantly replenishing us to keep draining us. So it _must_ be possible to still use our abilities with enough effort," Sumi turned back to Azure. Azure sighed and shook his head.

"You'll understand the true depth of our situation someday," he said sadly. Many of those nearby nodded in agreement as they looked on in pity.

"No! I may have surrendered to save everyone's lives, but that doesn't mean I've given up altogether," Sumi looked up with determination surging through her body. She started to concentrate as hard as she could, and with great effort an egg-shaped shield of chi formed around her, though it glowed very weakly compared to the one in her memory.

Sumi flew forward in her egg shield until she struck an invisible barrier. She continued to fly forward even as her shield flickered and died. With a slight thud she hit the invisible barrier with her own body and continued to press against it.

_Maybe Azure is right; there isn't a way to access our true power after all_, Sumi thought after several minutes as she continued to press against the barrier. _I just have to accept that I'm gone, and Seiji, I'll never…, _Sumi couldn't finish as a horrible wave of sadness overcame her and her heart tightened in despair.

"Nooooo!" Sumi yelled furiously; just as quickly as the despair came, it was replaced with an even more powerful surge of rage unlike any anger or frustration Sumi had felt before. And with it came a massive burst of power. A new egg-shaped shield formed, this time swirling bright with chi and psychic energy.

"True psychic energy!" Azure exclaimed! "Kasumi was right; there _is_ a way to access our real power. Maybe, just maybe…!" Azure, burning with hope he hadn't felt in a great many millennia. Concentrating, Azure sent up a beam of chi and psychic energy of his own up to the barrier. All around him others sent up their own beams, blasts, and waves into the barrier. Some stayed weak, others more powerful. Above them Sumi led the charge as blue and golden chi energy swirled around in her shield.

Shock and confusion swirled around Seiji's head, or would've he wasn't intensely focused on Periwinkle's amulet. Almost all of his questions went unanswered as more people showed up to help, and their limited time was spent explaining the plan instead of explaining who they were and why everyone knew each other.

The thirty minutes had been up a while ago, and a fierce battle raged above. Or at least, it was fierce for everybody but Periwinkle. Only the heat of the summer's day made Periwinkle sweat a little as he shrugged off every attack, only bothering to swat them away every now and then.

"This is just completely unfair, isn't it? All of you versus me, and yet I don't even have a single scratch to show for it," Periwinkle mocked them as he swatted the entire group of Z-fighters away. "I bet I couldn't get even so much as a nosebleed if I floated here and let you all take turns punching me in the face all day. Why-" As he taunted them, Periwinkle turned slightly and Seiji finally had it; a clear light straight to the very center of the amulet.

"NOW!" Seiji yelled as he sent out the beam to the amulet. More than a dozen chi beams and blasts of different shapes and colors were fired into Seiji's guiding beam and directly into the amulet.

"My amulet!" Periwinkle shrieked as the great sapphire started to crack. The cracks rapidly radiated from the point where the chi blasts had struck it before shattering altogether. Seiji had a brief glimpse of a blue and gold comet shooting out into the sky from where the sapphire had been before the entire area was blanketed in a light blue haze.

_It's chi, pure chi_, Seiji realized as he looked around. _But, I can't sense any individuals within it_, Seiji thought as the pit in his heart grew larger. _I…I must have just imagined that I saw the Comet Flash_.

The blue and gold comet came screaming back down from the sky and coming to a stop in mid-air, leaving a swirling egg shape where it stopped. Seiji flew up to the shield; after several moments it faded and dissipated, revealing the person inside rapidly re-forming from a ball of pure chi. Unlike before her hair was blond and stuck straight up, her eyes a vivid green, but even the unfamiliar face didn't matter; Seiji would've recognized her as a slug.

"Kasumi!" Seiji exclaimed as he flew into her outstretched arms. As they embraced tightly Sumi's returned to its natural black and mostly fell down, her eyes their brilliant blue. The two of them gently touched heads as they floated together. When they finally pulled away they smiled to each other and passionately kissed.

"I don't believe it, the outside world!" Azure exclaimed down on the plaza after regenerating. "Kasumi actually did it, we're finally free!"

As Azure spoke the others imprisoned in the amulet rapidly reappeared as well. They gathered on the ground, or perched on rooftops in the plaza. Others clung to the sides of skyscrapers, and others still simply floated in the air.

"Wow, there's so many of them!" Goku exclaimed. "I wonder how we're going to feed everyone."

"Don't be stupid, that's none of our business," Vegeta said before quickly looking away, but not before Goku noticed the slight smirk on his face when he saw Sumi and Seiji flying down to Azure.

A shrill shriek split the air, silencing everyone in the vicinity. It was Periwinkle, the rage on his face visible even to those on the ground. The scream seemed to last for minutes.

"THAT'S IT, YOU DIE, EVERY DIES, YOU ALL FUCKING DIE!" Periwinkle panted slightly before continuing. "I hope you thought it was worth it, just to die right away!"

"You're outnumbered, Periwinkle," Azure said, floating up a few feet above the ground. "Even with your residual chi you can't possibly kill all of us before you exhaust your supply, and return to just your own true strength."

"You really think that's true, old man?" Periwinkle sneered at his former master. "I still know the secret of the amulet. When you're all dead I can just make a new one, and build up my power all over again!"

"That's a secret we'll both take to the grave!" Azure yelled and flew at Perwinkle. So did dozens of former amulet prisoners. They swarmed Periwinkle briefly before being blown back. Yet dozens more flew up to take their place, with many more just behind them including the Z-fighters. Sumi, however, stayed on the ground alongside Seiji, eying the battle above with a frown.

"Sumi, something's-"

"Wrong, yeah. He has more than enough residual chi to blow us all up instantly, with chi to spare. To waste time and chi like this, he must be stalling for some other reason."

"D'you think he has a bomb hidden somewhere?" Seiji asked.

"I'm not sure," Sumi looked up past the battle into the sky himself. "He travels through space, maybe he has a spaceship with weapons on it?" she used telekinesis to search space high above the Earth. _Tiny rocks and a ton of satellites, but I can't see any spaceships. Wait, there's something really big farther away, maybe that's it._ Sumi gasped when the object came into focus. "Oh _shit_!"

"What, what do you see?" Seiji nervously asked. Sumi said nothing and pressed her head to Seiji's, and he saw it; a massive meteor hurtling right toward them! "Holy-! Sumi, we gotta blow it up!" he whispered once she pulled her head away.

"I don't think we can," Sumi paced around nervously. "Remember that report we did in science last year, about meteors? We read that theory about how blowing up meteors might be worse than just letting one big one hit, even to sand-sized particles."

"Isn't there _anything_ we can do?" Seiji whispered desperately. "Push it, teleport it, teleport the whole city, something?"

"…Wait, I got it!" Sumi stopped pacing and turned back to Seiji. "We're going to use our contingency plan."

"You're going to run away?!"

"No, but they can think that. You're going to line me up with that meteor, and while you're doing that, I'm going to build up speed and power flying around the world using the Comet Flash. That will be more than enough time for you to line me up, and buy time so Periwinkle doesn't suspect anything and stop us. And then I'll blow it up _and_ stop the debris!" As Sumi spoke, she touched heads with Seiji and illustrated the plan in his mind as well.

"Are you sure it'll work?" he asked.

"No. But I'd rather die trying than die a coward doing nothing," Sumi kissed Seiji. "By the way-"

"Yeah?"

"Love you, too."

They both smiled and pulled away; Sumi took a deep breath, relaxed, and started to float up into the air. With a slight twitch she started to build up a massive amount of power. Almost none of the fighters in battle seemed to notice, except for Trunks and Vegeta, who had just been knocked back by Periwinkle.

"Damn, I never knew Kasumi had nearly that much power," said Trunks. "I thought the one time was just a fluke."

"You shouldn't be surprised after the conversation with that boy. I knew he was alluding to something," Vegeta growled before flying back into the fray, closely followed by Trunks.

As Sumi gained power the egg-shaped shield formed around her, swirling with bright blue chi. She continued to build power for several more seconds before shooting away in the shield away from battle, with sparkles of blue psychic energy and light trailing behind her.

Down below Seiji had his full concentration on the meteor speeding silently toward their location. Their target traveling directly toward him made it extremely easy to line up with. The problem was the great distance; Seiji had to stretch out the invisible psychic path slowly so it wouldn't break.

Minutes passed as Seiji continued to work. As the invisible path extended out into orbit he could "see" that the meteor was already considerably closer. A spasm of horror briefly went through Seiji with that realization before he pushed it aside as he continued to work. As the line stretched out further the meteor sped closer and finally the inactive line connected with his target.

Almost halfway across the world Sumi continued to speed along. _Sumi!_ Seiji called out to her using telepathy. Sumi didn't respond; instead she focused her concentration. Her power began building again, paused, and with a burst of golden light she went Super Saiyan for the second time her life.

At that moment both her power and speed more than doubled as Sumi shot across the sky in a flash. Blue and yellow energy bled behind her as a spectacular tail as she blazed across the world, back to West City.

Azure paused after being knocked back again when he sensed Sumi heading back their way with increased power. As he sensed her he saw something out of the corner of his eye and looked up. A point of light that wasn't there earlier was visible high in the sky. Frowning slightly, Azure reached out with his mind and at once discovered the meteor.

"A meteor!" Azure yelled. "There's a meteor coming right for us!"

At once the battle ceased as everyone looked up to the brightening speck. Many screams rang out as others confirmed what Azure had said and those both in the sky and on the ground became terrified.

"That's right!" Periwinkle called out, panting. As he did so he floated slightly to the side and directly in Seiji's invisible path stretching out to the meteor. "Try and blow it up if you want, the resulting dust will be more than enough to burn up the atmosphere! Or teleport off this dumb rock if you wish, but I'll still find you and kill you later anyways! Whatever you do, you still die no matter what!"

"No way I'll let that happen!" Goku cupped his hands together and pulled them back. "Ka…me-"

"OUT OF THE WAY!" Sumi's voiced echoed all around them. Seiji activated the beam and a second later Sumi arrived. People were knocked aside as Sumi blazed past them into the beam. Sumi was safely re-directed through the egg shield and flew off into the sky, colliding with Periwinkle along the way. Periwinkle tried to move, but Sumi held him in place with an invisible psychic grip; Periwinkle didn't have enough energy remaining to break through it.

When Sumi got close enough to see the meteor clearly she stopped, but the shield opened long enough for her to exit. The shield continued on with Periwinkle as a chi blast, but Sumi had her full concentration on the meteor. Time seemed to move slowly, and at the moment it made contact with the meteor Sumi formed a new shield around the meteor.

There was a flash…and the shield held as the meteor exploded within it! Sumi smiled, and shoved the now-stationary shield with psychic energy, pushing it out towards the old Moon orbit where the debris could be safely released.


	5. Kasumi Returns

The afternoon sun shone down on Capsule Corp., where the Z Fighters had decided to take the freed psychics. Many perched on the dome itself, or floated beside it, while others stood on the extensive back lawn with the Z Fighters, including Azure.

"Aw, are you _sure_ you can't stay for even a little while?" Goku asked unhappily. "I'm sure we could come up with some kind of arrangement."

"Your generosity is greatly appreciated; however I'm afraid our great numbers would be quite a strain for even just one day. But, before we leave I would like to thank Kasumi as well. Does anyone know where she is?"

A bird perched in a nearby tree watched the conversation below. A second bird landed next to the first, the sound blocking out the reply. _"Sumi?"_ the bird "spoke" telepathically to the other. _"How come you're not down there with everyone else?"_

"_How come _you're_ not down there?"_ Sumi replied back also using telepathy.

"_Because you're not, and I asked you first: how come you're not down there? Why are you hiding?"_

"_I am...not sure that I'm welcome."_

"_Don't be silly. Azure wants to see you, and so do the other psychics."_

"_I'm not referring to the psychics."_

"_Oh."_ Both of them sat in awkward silence. _"Sumi, after Periwinkle trapped you in his amulet I, well, your family spoke with me."_

"_I was afraid of that."_

"_Well, what you said about them last night isn't true at all. Your sister isn't your replacement and never was intended to be one."_

"_They can say that, but can't prove it."_

"_And if it were true, then why did they go after Periwinkle earlier?"_

"_I don't know."_

"_I do, and it's because they thought you were dead."_

"_Wait, what? Why would they think that?"_

"_When we escaped from Periwinkle the first time we thought he couldn't figure out where we were hiding, but really he thought he blew us up by mistake. Your father witnessed it, too, and thought the same thing. And because you're so good at keeping your chi down to background levels they had no reason to believe otherwise._

"_There was some other stuff they talked about too, something about they were all trying to avoid wishes and so they decided wishing you back to life was a bad idea. I don't really understand what they were talking about because I didn't have time to ask a lot of questions. But I do know that when Periwinkle came back they all wanted to avenge you. Your mother said even she approved when she normally wouldn't."_

"_Are you sure they were really telling the truth?"_

"_Hey, I can sense the truth just as well as you can. Do you think I'm lying?"_

"_No, I can tell you're not lying."_

"_So, how come you're still not down there?"_ Seiji asked after several seconds of more silence.

"_Because it's hard, I've not spoken to them in almost fifteen years. Last night doesn't count, I was in disguise and that was hard enough as it."_

"_Just because you wear a disguise and don't use your full name doesn't make you any less you, because no matter what you're still Kasumi. And besides, I thought you were done with being afraid all the time."_

_I am tired of being so cowardly_, Sumi thought to herself. _But I have nothing to be afraid of, because no matter what I know I've got Seiji by my side._

"_Sumi?"_ Seiji called out when she didn't respond. Sumi said nothing; instead she spread her wings and flew out of the tree. Seiji feared that Sumi was angry at him, until he saw her stop in midair a short distance away.

Sumi hovered for a few second before being enveloped in a bright flash of light. And then she transformed, not into any of her disguises, but as her true self. Her black, spikey hair and cape fluttered slightly as she delicately landed before Azure. She could sense that everyone was watching her, but right now she only paid attention to Azure.

"Kasumi, on behalf of everyone, thank you," Azure bowed his head to Sumi. "You saved not just us, or this city, but probably your entire home planet from Periwinkle's meteor using that interesting technique of yours."

"Oh, that? That wasn't much, just the contingency plan I had for Periwinkle."

Azure shook his head. "No, that was a cool use of psychic chi."

"I don't know. But, thank you," Sumi bowed her head.

"Don't be so modest," Seiji landed next to Sumi with a slight thud and put his hand on her shoulder. "Sumi's best technique is the Comet Flash. She only had to wait for me to line up the exact hit."

Azure smiled. "So, now that Periwinkle is gone what are you going to do now?" Sumi shrugged.

"What are you talking about?" Bulma asked from behind. Sumi reluctantly turned around; her entire family was standing there. "You're going to come home and live with us now."

"You know, where you're supposed to be," Trunks added. Vegeta grunted.

"Oh, well, look, I appreciate the offer and all," Seiji pushed Sumi forward as she spoke. "But I already have my own place, and a job…," Sumi faltered as she looked at three expectant faces; even Vegeta's seemed softer than usual. Sumi sighed. "All right. But only for a little while!"

Sumi was almost knocked off her feet when Seiji unexpectedly tackled her, pulling Sumi into a tight hug. Sumi smiled, but turned around when she sensed a simultaneous pulse of chi; Azure and the rest of the psychics were floating up into the sky.

"We're going to find some place to live," Azure called down to the Z Fighters. "Even though almost all of us no longer have homes and families to turn to, we can live out our natural lives out in the universe together. Some place where all psychics are welcome, and where they can find safety if necessary."

Sumi waved to Azure and the others. "Come see us again, sometime!" she called out to them. The psychics rose higher and then paused. All of them glowed blueish white, and then in unison teleported away from Earth. As she looked up at the spot where they just were Sumi reached over and held Seiji's hand.

"Aw, you sure make a cute couple," Goku said when he noticed them holding hands together.

"Yeah? And how cute was your last wedding anniversary?" Sumi asked without hesitation. Seiji shifted nervously, but Goten and Trunks cracked up. Sumi casually held up a hand and Trunks gave her a high five.

"Looks like you haven't changed a bit, Kasumi," Trunks commented to her.

"Yes I have," Sumi insisted. "I'm not a coward who hides all the time anymore."


End file.
